Hurts
by TheCurtainDrops
Summary: (Told mostly from Leah's point of view) Leah will always be loyal towards her love for Nick, no matter the gushy eyes he makes towards his intensely perfect girlfriend. Simon and Bram have the most severely adorable relationship ever, but of course it takes work. Who knew jealousy wasn't always so adorable after all? (Leah x Nick) (Simon x Bram)
1. About The Story

**A friend of mine was utterly obsessed with this novel and unchecked it from the library long enough to give me the privilege to read it (I'm certain it was the universe telling me to put down The Mortal Instruments and just read something else for once). Stubbornly enough, I let it sit untouched on my stand and ignored its presence while I continued with my current obsessions. Thanksgiving Break was nearly over, I thought about my friend and how reluctant he was to give the book over and felt a stab of guilt. To make up for it, I gave it a try.**

 **And finished it in two days**.

 **Greatest book ever! It brought me to tears and I could just** ** _die_** **over the perfection of Simon and Bram. Seriously, I thought I would hate Martin forever but- I'm rambling.**

 **My favorite character was Leah, hands down. And I totally get her, I'd make out with Nick anytime anywhere if he's got the sexy raspy singing voice Simon says he has. I wanted her with Nick probably more than I wanted Simon to realize who Blue was and because of that, I had to set the book down and pout when Abby and him became a thing (I hope I'm not the only one who felt this way). So, I feel like Leah most definitely got screwed over, although that's most likely biased as hell. So here's a fic that's going to follow the events of the book and be all about my favorite character getting her fairytale happiness.**

 **Also, there will be ultra adorable Simon and Bram epicness. I'll write this in second person though because first person doesn't come naturally. Unfortunately.**

 **This fandom needs to be bigger. Like, seriously. There's only six stories on this site. *Is not a happy camper***

 **ENJOY!**

 **P.S. The title of this story is actually a song by Emeli Sandè, very beautiful and definitely recommened (coming from someone who listens to the stuff classified as "emo," this song was not). I know, it should've been Elliott Smith, but I feel like this just fits too nicely with my plans.**


	2. Entry 1

_Dear Diary,_

 _Summer has come to an abrupt close and I'm barely ready to begin anew as a Senior this year. I mean, do I even have enough courage to look down on the lower classmen for being younger than me? Grr, I'm avoiding the obvious situation even in my own diary. The issue is my friends, the ones I was sure had left me alone for Miss I'm-So-Fucking-Hot. Simon told me he'd never replace me, but I'm not so sure about that. It isn't that I really hate Abby, she's too sweet to hate. But she fits in so snuggly and all of my spots and, I don't know, I guess it just bothers me._

 _That's not a bad thing right? Maybe I'm just being a grade A bitch. What right do I have to be angry because some girl came along and wrecked my forever long crush on Nick? You can't make someone to love you back I guess, and it would probably be better if I was as pretty as she was. 'You're beautiful,' Simon says. But compared to her? I really do just look like the type of girl who's best friends with the guy, not the one who gets the guy._

 _I wish this was a cliche love story where I could just put on a flowy dress, smear some makeup on my face, and then have all the boys realize how beautiful I am. Except I don't care about the other boys, just one. One that I've gone two months without speaking to, save for a text every once in awhile. My mom was so excited to take me to Hawaii the day school let out. Nick wondered what they would do without me, I answered that he'd probably just make out with his girlfriend and forget about me. He laughed, I should've laughed too but all I did was smile. I'm hardly careful anymore. He's never gonna notice my feelings for him and I'm probably becoming okay with that. Especially seeing as I hadn't seen him in how long now?  
That's pretty much it. Hawaii was fun, but I can't get into that now. I'm on the flight back home and my mom is beginning to wake up and I don't want her to see me writing in this thing._

 _-Leah_


	3. Welcome Home

**A/N: Rated** ** _T_** **for swearing and sexual content. Rating is probably going to change for safety, but no lemons.**

* * *

Returning to Shady Creek after spending two months fulfilling excitement in the sunny environment that was Hawaii was a lot like getting off the most brilliantly designed rollercoaster of your life, then stepping off to get on a kiddy ride with your baby brother. Although, Leah couldn't deny she had missed the calming serenity and lovely familiarity of it all. She didn't precisely tan in the merciless rays of sunlight, simply burned to a crimson crisp that made her utterly sensitive to the touch. But it wasn't the type that made her outwardly bitter towards anyone who's flesh hue was not modernly hilarious. It was the type that put a big cocky grin on her face because she had gone someplace others wished they could follow, this burn was proof of its excellent severity.

"Honey," Leah's mother called from behind the car, the youth was slowly making her way towards the eerily silent home with her key twirling around her finger. "Could you help with the luggage sweetie?" Leah felt a stab of shame that she had nearly forgotten about their suitcases and swiftly spun on her heel with the intentions of being the helpful daughter she should've been. She squeaked an apology as she padded over on swift feet and joined her mother at her side. Her mother unlocked the trunk, the lid opened lazily into the air and revealed their suitcases. Leah reached inside and picked up two while her mother picked up the remaining pair. "Good to be back home?" Her mother wondered, setting down the baggage briefly to shut the trunk.

Leah hummed agreeably as she made her way towards the front door, dragging the luggage while being lost in her thoughts. "I mean, it's not Hawaii but I guess it's home." She shrugged and looked over her shoulder to acknowledge her mother coming up behind her. She settled the suitcases on the floor, then reached into her pocket to once again produce her key and unlock the door. She flung it open and, almost instantly, she was attacked by a pair of paws leaping up to stroke at her blouse, the source of them whined insistently for attention.

Leah stumbled slightly but seemed to recognize Bieber without effort, but it raised the question of how he had gotten here. And suddenly, from the living room, a choir of voices shouted 'SURPRISE!' and furthered her frightful jump, baggage falling from her grip. She stepped inside and scanned her gaze over every individual figure smiling at her vibrantly with excitement, a group of adolescents had gathered together inside her home. There were the faces she recognized, and a whole lot more she supposed had been invited simply so that the mass wasn't depressing.  
"What even-" Leah stepped fully into the room and took to quickly doing a check around the room. There were balloons of neon coloring floating in every corner, streamers seemed to hang in spirals from the ceiling as well. "How did you get in here..." She turned suddenly just as her mother came in, beaming like this was a wild accomplishment she would forever cherish. "You gave them a key," she realized, the older woman nodding vigorously.

"Abby approached me right before we left and told me she and your other little friends wanted to surprise you when we got back, I had a duplicate key made for them."

Leah turned to scour the culprits, but they suddenly engulfed her into their loving embrace and she was flushed against too many bodies to decipher who was who. But then someone whispered in her hair, and his breath being so close to any part of her at all made her stiffen all over, heart seeming to jump in her throat. "Nice sunburn Leah."

Nick's words reminded her of the sudden pain she was currently in and she proceeded to twist ruthlessly in their enrapture. "Guys, let me breathe!" The bodies separated long enough to let her get a good look at everyone, her trio of comrades were encircling her. Simon, with his messy blonde hair and Harry Potter glasses, had his mouth turned up into his widest grin. From behind him, Bram joined them by wrapping his arms around the other boy's petite waist and rested his chin against his shoulder, welcoming her back in his quiet, relaxed tone. Simon leaned naturally against him.

She wasn't sure how someone could change so much in the spam of two measly months (she held secret suspicion that it had something to do with Abby's magnificent influence), but Nick had certainly done so entirely. He was so much taller than her, his dark hair had grown out to sweep those eyes she struggled looking away from. His figure, which she was used to being so scraggly and gangly, had broadened out with the tone of muscle, he was too beautiful to possibly fit in with their nerdy clique. But then, the same went for Abby- who was so stunning it made Leah want to cry. And damn that strange scent of French toast she carried with her everywhere.

Nick had his arm wrapped around his girlfriend, and seeing them together- _all_ of them together- only seemed to painfully remind Leah that she was still lonlier than a strange person adoring a senseless pairing. She looked down at herself, at her oversized green sweater and holey stretch pants too large to even be sexily form fitting. She hadn't been briefed by her mother to look presentable for a sudden party happening in her living room. She suddenly wished her mother had, at the very least, insisted relentlessly that she wear one of her dresses.

Feeling self conscious in everyone else's sparkling attires, Leah lifted her hands up to undo the messy bun on her head (lazily made to keep the strands out of her eyes, not the cute style) and let her long tresses fall down past her breasts, then she crossed her arms underneath her chest. "You guys didn't have to do this," she smiled pleasantly, shaking her head back and forth.

"Actually, we did." Simon returned, tilting his head to the left so that the Bram's chin fit better into the crook. They were so adorable, so disgustingly in love, Leah had never been so happy for her friend because, out of everyone here, he definitely deserved his happiness. "If we'd just waited until we saw you at school, we'd be, like, the most boring friends ever."

"Excuse me," Abby spoke up from under Nick's arm, lifting a finger towards him in playful mockery of attitude. "I will leave all of you if I'm ever suddenly classified as boring in even the slightest." Nick pressed his face into her hair and whispered something that made her giggle like she'd just won the lottery and the rare warmth Leah felt towards the girl melted back into the typical coldness. Unpopular opinion of the year, it wouldn't be the worst thing on this planet if Abby suddenly had to move back to DC and never be permitted to see them again.

All around them, the party goers had gone into their own conversations, the soft sound of music filtered at a dull roar through the speakers. Leah's mother had quickly left to avoid the teenagers, most likely to get on her laptop and begin sharing photos of their vacation on Facebook. "Alright," Leah sighed, squinting at them each individually with moderately affectionate suspicion. "Who was it? Who's grand plan was it to throw me a party? Simon?" She raised a brow towards him, but he didn't get the chance of defense.

"Actually, it was me." Nick lifted his head away from Abby's hair and gave her a lopsided smile, something that made Leah want to kiss him all over. "I knew how much you hate being the center of attention, so I suggested we do exactly that so you keep in mind that you love us because we're assholes, not because we buy you teddy bears."

"Okay, but you _don't_ buy me teddy bears. Like, ever. And let me tell you something, a teddy bear would've been so much more simpler than all of this." It was the first time Leah was directly acknowledging Nick, she realized with dismay, and she wondered if her joking prods made her seem like a raging bitch. Nick was grinning at her, but she amended herself anyway. "Er, I mean thanks. All of you thanks. I appreciate the unnecessary trouble you went through."

"That's the best we're gonna get out of her," Simon sighed, bending his head backwards to look towards Bram, who shrugged noncommittally. "Alright, let's party now."

So they did precisely that. Leah was politely asked at least a thousand times how Hawaii had been. To amuse herself, she tested how many ways she could answer "good" to each person. Thankfully, no one seemed interested in details, saving her from having to dive into them. Simon pulled her aside at one point and spoke to her in a voice that sounded deliberately sweetened. Leah wasted no time calling him out on it and he quickly dove into the item of his concerns: Nick. A lump thicker than anything Leah had ever struggled to swallow formulated in her throat, but she smiled and dismissively told him how bland he had suddenly become to her. Simon returned her smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. She knew very well that he didn't believe her for a second, considering how many years she'd spent unsuccessfully trying to simply be rid of this blasted unrequited crush.

Later, Nick got her alone as well, though it probably wasn't purposeful. Things like that tended to happen she supposed. Leah had needed space from socialism and sunk down into her couch with a red plastic cup filled with punch in her hand. She lasted for about twenty minutes, mindlessly daydreaming and watching the others as they interacted, when Nick dragged over one of the kitchen chairs settled in the living room for more seating, stopped it in front of her, then sat backwards on it. He looked towards her expectantly, but she wasn't particularly certain on what she was supposed to say to him. Due to this, she left it in ill minded silence. Apparently, this did not sustain any satisfaction, Nick stretched out his leg and tapped his shoe into the side of hers and she finally made herself look at him. "What are you thinking?" He asked.

Leah raised a brow up at him, lifting her eyes towards the ceiling as she considered her response. "I don't know," she finally shrugged, and it was the truth. Thoughts persisted her quickly, but they were so meaningless that the memory of them didn't so much as linger. "Nothing important. And I'm not avoiding anyone, seriously. I just needed to sit down for a little while." Tomorrow would begin school for all of them, but it had reached the point for Leah where nerves were nonexistent. Honestly, it would probably feel like she hadn't spent an entire summer away from the facility because she had been going for so long. She wondered if the same went for her little group.

Nick looked off to the side for a moment, he seemed thoughtful and she hated that. When Nick thought too hard into something, it was because he was trying to find some deeper meaning behind what had been said. Strangely, he was never good at reading Leah and she suspected that this turned him off. He shook his head and looked back towards her soberly, it made her straighten up in preparation because she wasn't certain what he was going to say. "We're glad you came back. It kinda sucked without you, like something was missing all throughout the summer. Text messages were definitely not enough." Leah wished he had changed the word _we're_ to _I'm,_ but that was simply a pathetic need for sentiment. But she appreciated his note of care nonetheless.

"It's almost like last year," he said suddenly, and this time he wasn't looking at her. His eyes were strangely fascinated with the toes of his shoes. She knew this wasn't a very good sign. "When you disappeared for over three days straight and wouldn't return anyone's messages, then suddenly showed back up with zero explanation." He lifted his gaze back to hers and Leah felt a sense of error between them, like she had invented a subtle virus in their friendship. Simon had gotten his explanation, had forced her to return to them because damn him for being so wonderful. And yes, she had behaved as though the entire thing never came to pass, despite her terrible resolve to stay away from them.

It had been painful for her, the day she realized that Nick, Simon, and fucking Abby were all in agreement to hang out together. How she hadn't been invited, how she hadn't even heard about the plans until Morgan and Anna had wondered "how on earth had Abby and Nick became something." They presumed she was with them and that she had witnessed it somehow.

But she hadn't even known.

Leah did not cry. It was a rare specialty that nobody was ever permitted to see because she was stronger than tears. But she had cried herself to sleep several times, not just because of Nick (she would never be _that_ ridiculous, Nick could date whoever he pleased even if it hurt her), but because someone a thousand times better than her had stepped in out of no where and had replaced her without any effort. And she had hated Nick, had hated Simon, for making her feel so horribly inadequate. She had made amends with Simon, but she would never confront Nick about it, and she honestly didn't give a rat's ass about what Abby thought of her. However, to have it so suddenly brought up by Nick, like it had bothered him that she wasn't there anymore whenever he needed her, made her realize that he wanted to know what happened. Meaning Simon had been incredibly loyal enough not to spill about her breakdown even to Nick.

But none of that mattered because she had already concluded how she was not going to share in her thought process with him, ever. And to further this task, she was going to flat out ignore his obvious prod. "I know you brought your guitar," she said, crossing one leg over the other. "Are you gonna sing me something nice or...?" They stared at each other for awhile, Nick seemed blank over her inquiry but Leah was defiantly waiting for him to confirm that, yes, he was singing. He narrowed his eyes and poked the inside of his bottom lip with his tongue, then he stood up and moved away from her without another word, but he went straight into the hallway to retrieve the instrument. Leah sadly watched him go, knowing full well that they were broken. But she wouldn't try to fix it. Nick was far more complicated than Simon.

The music shut off, everyone gathered around to hear Nick play his guitar and sing Pink Floyd in the voice Leah adored so much. Abby clearly did as well because she was staring at him in a way that spoke of devoted romance and a type of pride that said _he's mine._ Leah could only look away.


	4. Entry 2

_Dear Diary,_

 _The party could've gone much worse I suppose, but that doesn't mean it couldn't have gone better either. There are issues between Nick and I but, you know, what can you do? Well, actually, there totally is something I could do. I could tell the truth about my feelings, admit to him that I've spent years fantasizing about what our wedding would be like and what our future would be like and all the incredibly strange things following after. Ha, could you imagine the look on his face? He'd probably never speak to me again the rest of my life, which I just could not stand for if it came to it._

 _It was good to see them all again, I really did miss them. And then there was Abby, who I GUESS wasn't so terrible to be around. Although, I could've been without her and such. Hmm, how ridiculous of me. I mean, Abby is the most perfect girl in this universe, why should anyone ever hate her? I really need to work on my sarcasm. Maybe if I try to befriend her...I'm sure it would help my current relationship with Nick if he saw me being all giggly and girly with his perfect girlfriend. But that's literally just the question, could I ever manage to do that for anyone? Every time I see her, all I think about is that day I had truly been replaced. How they all had decided getting together and going to some club or whatever without me was within their best interest. God, they had forgotten me so easily…_

 _Done talking now._

 _-Leah_


	5. Back To School

Leah was battling internally with herself, she had spent that morning glaring into her own reflection, biting into her lip and wondering if it was worth the effort to swallow her pride and try playing nice with her best friend's girlfriend. Abby really was kind, she wasn't like most of the beautiful girls at this school who all acknowledged how stainless they were and treated the lessers like dirt because of it. She was sweet to everyone, and she was always attempting to make things shiny between her and Leah, the latter of the two was the only one making this difficult. She knew that she could fake it, but Leah had never been the type of girl to bury her feelings. When she was angry with you, she made it very clear. When she was sad, it shone in the glassy product of her eyes (though she typically hid away when this emotion threatened to knock her down). So to fake her fondness for Abby, though she tried as hard as she could to do this, was a method of practice she hadn't any training in.

At the moment, she was walking blindly down the hallway, too lost in her contemplations to worry over the people she upset by accidentally strolling in their paths. Her heart was racing in her chest, she had her lip between her teeth again and the hands wrapped around the straps of her bag were clammy with sweat. She heard the sharp sound of a whistle, causing her to flinch from her reverie and look up into the dazzling blue eyes of someone she was relieved to see. Simon smiled at the light in her gaze and linked their arms together, being her monitor to ensure she caused no more traffic jams through her aimless travels.

"You're thinking about him aren't you," Simon spoke only when they came to a stop at the steel lockers, releasing his hold so that she could turn the combination.

"I'm not," she responded, swinging open the metal door and dropping her bag on the floor. "I'm thinking about her actually." She unzipped her carrier and reached within to grab her heavy new set of textbooks. Once they were successfully deposited, she looked towards her comrade to find that he was eying her suspiciously through his round glasses. She tensed at the expression, immediately defensive as she closed her locker shut and demanded "What?" in a tone that warded off anything to offend her.

"Murder is wrong in every degree," Simon answered, his mouth curving into a grin. Leah sighed and bent down to zip up her backpack, hauling it back on her shoulders. Sometimes, she truly did despise the fact that Simon was gay. And not because of a secret dosage of unreasonable homophobia, but because then she could look at him and notice the way his bottom lip was fuller than his top. Or how she liked the tousle of his messy blonde hair. The way he smelled like a dusty old library, endearing and sweet. Any of these really, and she could let herself fall in love with him instead so that things weren't horribly complicated in her life. Or, better yet, if only she could look back at the boys that gave her second glances in the hallways and let herself feel for them. It wasn't as though she was so enraptured in Nick that she noticed nobody else, she simply didn't care.

"Don't be so dramatic," she laughed, re-linking their arms together and proceeding off once more. "I'm thinking about being friends with her, or, like, something." Leah felt the crawl of flames fill the inside of her cheeks and she considered her scorn. She really hated to blush. "It might be better than deciding to hate her. You know, it's beginning to give me heart problems and we really can't have that."

"Of course not," Simon agreed, nodding with sarcastic importance. "If only you could, you know, stop being so grossly in love with her boyfriend." Before Leah could support her choice of interest, Simon proceeded to place a hand over his chest and mock her in a voice that sounded terribly like an overdramatic actress attempting a devastating role in a Shakespearean play. "Oh he's ever so _dreamy,"_ drawled the boy, to which Leah proceeded to hit him on the arm with a playful fist. "I wish I could make him love me like I love him. If only he weren't so entangled with a vile witch so that I may, you know, take him for my own."

Leah burst free of her giggles and lied her head against his arm, it felt so very good to laugh so carelessly, as though everything were well in her life. Unfortunately, this moment was short lived. A familiar duo joined their presence and the pair looked up to identify the newcomers. "What's so funny?" Nick wondered, his mouth naturally turned up higher on one side than the other in a crooked grin and, simply enough, Leah inwardly swooned. She sooner scolded herself for being so easy and promptly looked away from him, determined not to be made a fool of. On his arm was Abby, sweet and merciless Abby. She seemed so natural, perched right next to Nick as though nothing made her happier. The envy was proceeding to settle in and Leah was uncertain over whether or not she had the power to fight it off this time around. It was difficult, but that didn't change the fact that Abby still had yet to do anything particularly wrong.

"Oh nothing," Simon saved her from certain doom, she realized quickly that she hadn't a single lie to come up with. She looked up to give the boy an appreciative smile, but he winked at her in a secretive fashion that, for reasons untold, promised her demise. "I'm just making fun of Leah for having a crush on someone."

Leah was certain her heart had just skipped a necessary beat, her mouth fell agape with dismay while Simon patted her shoulder in a way that meant encouragement. To do what? Risk the total loss of one of her dearest friends? Nick and Abby flicked a pair of eyes towards the girl with brows raised in curiosity. Nick appeared especially bewildered and Leah felt a childish dash of evident delight in this, she knew precisely why such surprise lied in those lovely dark eyes of his. Whatever Leah told Simon, Nick was certain to know about as well. However, it seemed Leah wasn't so quick to share things with the tall boy any longer. But then she thought of the way he had casually prodded her at her Welcome Home party, how he had attempted to gain some perspective to what had become of their relationship for the time she had refused to communicate with either one of the boys. She shouldn't be so pleased over hurting him like this, it wasn't exactly his bad that their friendship had been faltering. He just happened to get an obnoxiously spectacular girlfriend.

"He's lying," Leah forced herself to smile up to Nick in a way that seemed natural. "He's just trying to test the boundaries of my patience. He's very daring today, I think that boyfriend of his might be a very bad influence on him." She elbowed Simon in his ribcage and he laughed in a way that said it hurt, but his amusement would not be so easily faltered. Nick chuckled at this and unwrapped his arm from his girlfriend's shoulders while Abby grinned towards her.

"Oh come on Leah," she insisted. "It'd be so _great_ if you gained a little crush on some lucky guy! Plus, you're really pretty so I'm sure it wouldn't be very hard for you to take your pick." Leah wanted to scowl at her, the irony of that sentence seemed nearly unbearable and she needed every bit of her will to keep her eyes from flicking towards Nick. Actually, this had been the most perfect description for Abby when she first arrived, all the nerds drooled over her like she were made of rare comic book issues, and it seemed there wasn't a _single_ person in the school that shared Leah's disdain. It was perplexing, how could someone be so widely adored by everyone without having to do anything? It seemed like the stuff of fantasies, yet here Abby stood in her overly wondrous existence.

Leah smiled, although she wasn't sure how it appeared. She really despised being told she was attractive in any sense, her reflection seemed to be nothing special. And with the way Nick hadn't ever felt anything towards her meant something more, Abby was much prettier. Leah knew that. But, the real issue was _how_ much prettier? "Thank you," she said and caught the sharp flick of Simon's eyes in her direction. She wasn't sure what the matter was, that had been genuine sincerity. Perhaps Leah never recognized herself when something upset her. Emotions were never her strong point. "But that's unimportant anyway because I don't have a crush on anyone."

No, not a crush on anyone. She was just super duper painfully terrible torturously unfairly in _love_ with-

"We should get going," Nick spoke up suddenly. "Otherwise, we're gonna be late to class. You'll be his first victim this year." He looked pointedly at Leah and her eyes stretched round with hopeless realization. It wasn't that she really cared much for an attendance record, but she absolutely hated being with a teacher that forced you to come up to the front of the class and explain why you were late. It was a ridiculous concept honestly, they were typically late because _walking_ wasn't a quick prospect so early in the morning. Leah feared if she was ever dragged into that punishment by an impatient teacher, she might bark something sarcastic and get herself into trouble.

"Okay Nick," she said. "I'm gonna go but feel free to stay here and chat." They shared a class together during this time, or so the picture of the schedule Nick had sent her that morning stated. He'd been especially horrified over the fact that he had such a famously strict instructor, but Leah had revealed they'd suffer together during that time. She pressed a swift kiss against Simon's cheek and wrapped Abby up in an especially brief hug before hurrying away in the direction of class. Moments later, Nick's long strides came up beside her and she felt his fingers curl around the bend of her elbow, ultimately slowing her pace.

"Wait a second Leah," he said quietly, earning a noise of protest from the girl. "I wanted to talk to you for a second." Leah huffed and stood at attention for him, but the internal struggle of panic was making it hard to keep from fidgeting. In all their years of knowing each other, it had never been like this. Nick would ask to talk to her, and she would only respond with mild curiosity, their friendship had always been stable. But now, here she stood, petrified of what he was about to ask of her, or what he wanted to say to her. He was quite observant, perhaps this would be the confrontation she was avoiding.

"Do you wanna hang out after school?" He asked, his smile easy and real. "Just us two, we can go get waffles or something."

Leah was struck dumb with ill minded silence, blinking in owlish wonderment. She hadn't imagined he'd simply wanted to spend time with her, especially considering the lack of balance between them at the moment. Was this him attempting to recover what they once had? Or perhaps it was merely a trap. Maybe he was luring her in with promises of wonderful waffles just so that he could corner her and accuse her of having embarrassing feelings for him. What if it was one of those times where a boy sits a girl down just to gently speak of his disinterest in her. _Leah, I'm sorry. I know you have a crush on me that you've been harboring for centuries now, but I just don't feel that way about you. Okay? Can we still be friends?_ She fought back the urge to scowl, who was he to give her the sweet rejection speech like that? Why would he even imagine she thought there was still a chance between them?

 _No fucking shit you don't feel that way about me,_ she mentally responded to their imaginary conversation. _It's only been seven years now, and you've got a girlfriend who's perfect at literally everything. Do you think I didn't realize already? Do you think I needed you to sit me down and explain how I'm not your type in this public vicinity? I was perfectly content pretending there was nothing but now you've ruined it by doing this to me. Thanks a lot jackass, I feel much better now._ Oh God, they weren't even at the waffle house and already she was inventing horrifying scenarios that might not even play out in her head. No, she wasn't ready to be alone with Nick. She knew she wouldn't be able to handle it, there was too much complication, too many emotions. He was taking this way too fast, she needed to find a way out of it.

"I don't have any money-" she began.

"I'll pay," he finished, much too eagerly. "What are friends for? Besides, it's been awhile since we last hung out don't you think? Just say yes, I know you love waffles." Leah shifted on her feet, realizing she had no where to turn, no reason for escape unless she wanted to make things worse between her and Nick. Her stomach tied itself in a tight knot, her bottom lip pulled itself between her teeth as she mulled this over. She was absolutely allowed to say no if she wanted to, it wasn't like Nick was going to drag her kicking and screaming. But then, how could she expect to get anywhere with him if she simply continued pushing him away? Here he was, trying to gain something from her that was positive, and she was trying to look for a way out. Nick was still one of two best friends, she owed him her efforts.

"Okay, but only if I can punch your shoulder when we're late for class," she answered. His smile was both humored and relieved, he threw his arm around her shoulders and proceeded guiding her towards the classroom again.

"Deal," he agreed.


End file.
